


Lost In Time

by MoonWillow333



Category: Original Work
Genre: Adventure, Death mages, F/M, Fantasy, Gen, I suck at tagging, Kinda, Life mages, Lillian just wants to go home, Magic, Ryllan's an a-hole, Time machine, a bit of romance, kinda a slow build, like way later on
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-10-12
Updated: 2016-10-12
Packaged: 2018-08-22 02:39:15
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 4
Words: 5,720
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8269534
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MoonWillow333/pseuds/MoonWillow333
Summary: Lillie Reid is a young woman with the world on her shoulders. She works a full time office job and tries her hardest to take care of her orphaned little sister, Ebony. But on top of her boss always hitting on her to the phone calls she gets from Ebony's side of the family trying to take her away, she finds a mysterious vending machine.
And this vending machine is no ordinary machine... It's a device that allows the user to travel to whole other worlds.
Unfortunately for Lillie, she lands in Chiradia(Chi-rah-dee-ah), a land of magic and fantasy. And it seems to have chosen her as the Life Mage, a being that possesses the only Life Magic in the whole land. Now she's got to make it back home before authorities take Ebony AND somehow save an entire world from death and destruction. Can't she get a break?





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Hey! This is one of my original work ideas... so hopefully you like it! I got this one from a dream I had and it was pretty epic, so I'm hoping that I can write it out pretty well. :3
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

          I groaned as I looked over the papers on my desk again. There was apparently supposed to be a conference tomorrow and I was required to be there with my boss. Reading through the files, I rubbed a temple in frustration. Why the hell did he need _me_ there? There was no reason for me to be there unless…

          I groaned again. I hated being some kind of stupid trophy that my boss thought he could show off whenever he felt like. It didn’t help he’s tried hitting on me multiple times at work and even tried using my little sister to try to get me on his side. I sighed deeply, debating on if I should quit or not. I opted out of that option, knowing that I couldn’t quit because if I did, Ebony would suffer.

          “ Damn it…” I muttered, stacking the papers and setting them neatly to the side. I looked at the clock, seeing that my shift was over in about a minute. Grabbing my things, I headed for the door to clock out and go home to relax.

          “ Miss Reid!”

          I stiffened and suppressed a groan of annoyance. My boss. Just great.

          “Yes, Mister Jackson?” I replied politely, turning to look at him, my strawberry blonde hair falling around my shoulders. He stalked up to me, smirking as he approached. I inwardly groaned.

          “ Are you prepared for the meeting tomorrow?” He asked, his tone dropping a bit to make his voice sound sultrier.

          “ Yes… sir.” I replied, resisting the urge to roll my eyes. This guy didn’t know how to take a hint. He stepped closer and I stiffened, forcing myself not to step back.

          “ You know… there’s a nice restaurant—” I held up a hand and cut him off.

          “ I have to get home. My little sister needs dinner.” I quipped, turning on my heel and heading for the elevator.

            “ Lillie, wait!” I groaned out loud and turned to him, eyes narrowed in irritation. My boss walked up to me, his aura radiated with a bit of irritation.

            “ Come on… Why not give me a chance?” He questioned and I scoffed, pulling my keys out of my purse.

            “ Because it’s very unprofessional to date your boss, especially without notifying HR first. That and,” I paused to glare at him.

            “ I’m. Not. Interested.”

            With that, I turned on my heel and left the building.

***

            “I’m home!”

            With those two words, a small little black ball of fire came hurtling from down the hall and into my legs.

            “ Sissy, you’re home!” The little ball squealed happily. I smile crossed my features as I hugged her tightly.

            “ Yep, did you do your homework?” I inquired and the little one nodded happily. She hopped away, grinning from ear to ear.

            “ Yep sissy! All done like sitter said!” She giggled. I laughed lightly and looked at the babysitter.

            “ Thank you again, Allyssa.” I said and reached for my wallet.

            “ It’s no problem Lillie, and don’t bother with paying me. I’ll just give it back to you anyways. Good night girls!” Allyssa waved as she left the house. I grumbled, wanting to pay my friend before she left. I looked down when I felt a tug on my shirt.

            “ Sissy, I’m hungry.” Ebony stated with a straight face. I chuckled and ruffled her hair.

            “ Okay sweetie, just let me change out of my work clothes, okay?” I told the little one and she nodded, darting off to her room so she could play. I sighed softly, running a hand through my hair before heading to my own room to change.

             I thought about Ebony as I rifled through my draws for something comfortable to change into after a quick shower. I became her guardian after her parents had tragically died in a house fire. She was like a little sister to me and her parents had stated multiple times that if anything were to happen to them, I’d be the one to take Ebony. The police suspected arson, but they never could find enough evidence to hold a suspect. So the case, unfortunately, went cold.

            Grabbing my towel and drying myself off, I remembered that I had an upcoming court date to ensure Ebony is safe and happy. I sighed and put on some black and gray marbled yoga shorts with a white tank top before heading into the kitchen to make dinner. Grabbing the necessary ingredients, I started to make Ebony’s favorite dish. Lasagna.

            “Sissy?”

            I turned and looked at my little sister as she stared up at me with big, ice blue eyes.

            “ Yes, Eb?” I replied, waiting for her question.

            “ Can I watch a movie?” I smiled and nodded, pulling myself away from the kitchen to put up a movie for Ebony. She giggled and jumped onto the couch, snuggling up to a pillow and looking at the TV screen. Putting on Beauty and the Beast, I left my little sister in the living room to enjoy her movie while I finished dinner.

            After dinner was done cooking and Ebony was fed, I sat on the couch with her to watch movies, singing with some of the songs and laughing alongside my little sister. All my worries melted away for a happy moment as I spent some quality time with Ebony.

***

          “ Miss Reid! You’re nearly late!”

          I sighed and hurried down the hall to my cubicle, quickly grabbing the files for this morning’s meeting and heading to the conference room. I could already tell this was going to be a long day. I quickly put all my papers neatly beside where Mr. Jackson would be sitting, making sure everything was in place. Speak of the devil, the boss himself walked in, smiling at me. I forced a smile, hoping he saw it as just a professional greeting.

          “ Good morning, Mr. Jackson.” I greeted politely.

          “ Good morning, Ms. Reid, how are you this morning?”

          “ I’m fine, sir. Are you prepared for the meeting?” I inquired, brushing off his flirtatious gaze.

          “ I believe we are. Thank you for helping me with this.” I nodded and sat in the seat next to him, much to my discomfort, as he sat down. We watched in silence as the rest of the higher ups entered the room and sat at their seats.

          The meeting lasted about an hour of everyone arguing back and forth. I only half paid attention and gave Mr. Jackson papers when he needed them so he could rebuttal their arguments. Needless to say, everything went smoothly aside from the debate. Mr. Jackson walked alongside me to my cubicle as I sat in my office chair and began typing away at my keyboard.

            “… Lillie-”

            “ I prefer to be called ‘Ms. Reid’, Mr. Jackson.” I cut him off sharply, looking at him through narrowed eyes. He sighed and leaned against my desk.

            “ Come on.” He pressed. “ What do I gotta do to get your attention, huh? Crawl on my hands and knees and bark?” I rolled my eyes, going back to my work.

            “ Try leaving me alone.” I ground out. With an irritated huff, he pushed off my desk and headed to his office. _Finally_. I thought. _Some breathing space._ I typed away at my keyboard, scheduling events and writing out some proposals for Mr. Jackson. Sighing softly, I rubbed my eyes with one hand.

            When will this stress end?


	2. Chapter 2

            I sighed and entered my house, closing the door and placing my bag on the small table that I set up in the hall, wrestling my hair loose from my hairband and ruffling my hair. At least my boss left me alone for once. I walked into the living room and smiled lightly. Ebony sat in the middle of the floor, color pencils, paint, pastels, chalk, all sorts of drawing utensils surrounded her as she excitedly drew on a large piece of paper.

            “ What’re you making, Picasso?” I asked and leaned on the door frame. Ebony turned and smiled at me cheekily, a smudge of purple paint on her face.

            “ Shhh, it’s a secret!” She chirped before turning back and scribbling some more colors onto the paper. “ You can’t look, sissy!”  I laughed and headed to my room to change into something more comfortable. Once changed, I walked back out to see Ebony still hunched over her artwork, giggling to herself. I smiled and walked into the kitchen to begin dinner, but stopped when the phone started to ring.

            “ Hello?” I said once I picked up the receiver.

            “ Ah, Lillian, good evening. How’s Ebony?” A crinkly, snipped voice greeted me and I wrinkled my nose.

            “ Uh, hey, Jillian… Please, it’s just Lillie, and Ebony’s fine.” I replied.

            “ Is she? No sickness? No nightmares or anything?” Jillian inquired and I swear to god, it felt like a damn interrogation.

            “ No, she’s been fine. I was going to fix her some dinner, actually-”

            “ Oh, please. I’m sure the child has had nightmares. After what she’s been through… Are you even taking care of her?” I fumed at the insult. This wench always had to argue with me.

            “ Jill, if you called me to bash me into the ground with insults, then call back another time because I am not going to deal with your crap tonight.” I seethed quietly, making sure Ebony didn't hear.

            “ What-”

            “ Don’t call here again. Call my lawyer.” With that I hung up, tempted to hurl the phone at the wall. Restraining myself, I put the phone back and went back to the kitchen to finish making dinner.

            Once it was finished, I walked into the living room to check on Ebony, seeing the black haired girl run up to me with her picture.

            “ Here sissy!” She squeaked and held the picture up. I laughed and took it from her to hold it up and examine it. It was a cute little place that looked like a gorgeous wheat field. It had little figures of Ebony, me, and…

            “ Eb, who are they?” I asked and pointed to a few people, dressed oddly like warriors or something.

            “ They’re your guards! To protect you from the bad man!” She exclaimed. “ They help protect you and stuff!” I laughed at the explanation, looking over the picture again.

            “ Really now? Who’s the bad man?” I teased.

            “ He’s the weirdo at your work.” Ebony said flatly and I busted up laughing, nearly in tears.

            “ Ebony! You can’t just say stuff like that about my boss!” I chuckled, ruffling her hair.

            “ But he is!” Ebony argued, puffing her cheeks out. I laughed again, pulling the little one into a hug.

            “ You’re silly.” I said softly, giving her a small peck on the forehead.

            “ No, you’re silly!” Ebony giggled and bounded off to her room. I smiled and watched her go, folding my arms across my chest.

            “ Eb, wash up for dinner!” I called before turning and walking back to the kitchen. I heard her small ‘okay!’ come from her room as I started putting food onto two plates. Ebony bounced in a few moments later, sitting at the dining table. Placing her food down, she began to eat like any child would as I watched, eating much slower.

***

            I pulled on a jacket and laced up my sneakers, heading for the door. Ebony was asleep and I decided to go out for a late night jog. I locked the door and headed out as I began to set a steady pace down the street. A cool breeze blew, chilling my skin as I continued down the road. My mind jumped from thought to thought, about work, about social services, about Ebony, about her family. It seemed to be an endless cycle of worry and stress.

            I halted my jog, panting slightly and stretching. Looking up at the sky, I watched the stars flicker and shine in the night, barely illuminating anything with their dim glow. Wiping my brow, I decided to find a vending machine and grab a water. As I walked down the street, I came across an… odd machine.

            “ The hell…?” I mused as I slowly approached it, squinting slightly. It looked like an old— _really_ old—vending machine. It was a dull red, maybe an old Coca-Cola machine, and had white stripes running along the sides. There were a line of buttons along the right side on the front so you could choose your drink.

            Standing in front of it, I grabbed a dollar and tried to find the money slot for the vending machine. As much as I looked, it didn't seem to have one.

            “ Seriously?” I muttered to myself, beginning to push the buttons. Maybe something would happen.

            And something did.

            Whether it was a combination of what I pressed or a certain button, the machine opened with a soft clinking sound. I jumped back a bit, startled. _What the heck is this thing?_ I thought as I pulled the makeshift door open and gasped.

            There were buttons and knobs of all sorts, and what seemed to be a chair in the middle, surrounded by wires and levers. Curious, I stepped inside, exploring the strange device.

            It honestly was fascinating. I didn’t know what it was made for, but it sure as hell was neat. I sat in the seat, bouncing a bit and looking around. It almost felt like a space ship.

            I squeaked as the door suddenly shut, startling me. Pounding on the walls, I yelled out.

       “ Hey!” I shouted. “ Help!” I must’ve hit a switch or something because the machine stared to him with power and glow softly. Panic began to set in as the machine began to vibrate. I screamed and held onto the chair as tight as I could, trying to keep myself from flying around in the small space. I screwed my eyes shut and felt my stomach lurch, as if I just dropped a thousand feet straight down.

          That’s the last thing I remembered before I blacked out.

***

          Groaning, I finally began to come to, vision blurred and head feeling like it was about to split. I got up and the machine opened, releasing me from the tiny prison. I held my head as I hobbled out, looking around in confusion. Where was I?

            It looked like a broken down lighthouse, but with an eerie blue glow. It was dark, as if it was nighttime, and the glow made everything seem even creepier. I walked around cautiously and with slight awe.

            “ …the hell…?” I wondered out loud, running my hand over a broken and fallen pillar. The blue glow retracted before returning and swirling around my hand. Startled, I recoiled my hand and watched as the glow returned to its place like it was never touched. I blinked a few times, staring at the pillar before backing away and looking for the exit.

            After about a half an hour, I finally found what looked to be the exit, walking to the door and pushing it open. The sunlight nearly blinded me as I left the building, shielding my eyes.

            “ What is this place?” I asked myself, looking around. Lucky for me, there was a sign not too far away. I quickly walked over and read it. It was nearly faded away and was a bit hard to read.

            “ …Temple of…Ethalin…?” I muttered, furrowing my brows. I’ve never heard of a place named Ethalin and the ‘temple’ looked abandoned and broken down. I looked away from the abandoned temple and down the dirt road. There had to be a town or something somewhere that had a phone. I needed to call Allyssa and have her watch Ebony.

            Sighing in irritation, I started down the dirt road. This definitely not what I wanted to be doing at this current time.


	3. Chapter 3

            As I suspected, there was a town about a mile down the road and I almost cried in relief… until I saw their clothing.

            They were dressed in old-fashioned type clothing, like from the early eighteen hundreds. I looked at my clothes and realized that I stuck out like a sore thumb in a snowy field. Shaking it off, I walked up to the nearest person and tapped their shoulder.

            “ Excuse me, ma’am?” I asked as the lady turned and looked me over suspiciously.

            “ Yes…?” She inquired cautiously, her voice thick with an old English type accent.

            “ Could you tell me where I am?” She looked at me like I grew a second head. I shifted nervously under her judgmental gaze.

            “ You’re in one of the capital cities, Asteidus.” She replied firmly. “ Didn't your parents teach you of the cities?” I looked at her, a bit shocked by her tone, before narrowing my eyes and crossing my arms defensively.

            “ Sorry… I’m not really from here…” I muttered, looking around. Everyone here seemed a bit… mournful, as if something horrid had happened.

            “ Well you should be respectful. The entire country is in turmoil from the death of our Life Mage…” The lady huffed and turned away, hobbling down the road. I blinked in confusion. Life Mage? Asteidus? Where the hell was I?

            I shook my head and continued to walk through the town, trying to figure out what the hell was going on. Listening to conversations as I passed by, it seemed like this ‘Life Mage' was a big deal around here. And their death put everyone in a depressive state. That and everyone kept looking at me and whispering things to each other, starting to piss me off. 

          Before I could breathe a word, everyone began to move and crowd around a few people, asking questions and talking. It was strange to say the least, as if a celebrity just entered. I stood on my tip toes, trying to see what everyone was excited about. There were three people standing in the middle of the crowd, talking with the town folk and answering questions.

            “ Ryllan! What will we do now without the Life Mage?” A commoner asked. A dark haired male turned and looked at them, smiling lightly as his ocean blues held hope. And damn, I had to admit, he was pretty hot.

            “ Don’t worry.” The man, Ryllan, replied. “ We will travel to Cadialdan and speak with Zelarith the Grand Mage. He will know what to do.”

            “ But what of Silird? What will we do about him and his Death magic?” Another person inquired, fear quivering in his voice. I stood, baffled. Cadialdan? Zelarith? Silird? What is with all these weird names?

            “ What the hell is going on?!” I half whispered, half scowled. The person next to me looked over and glared at me.

            “ Have you no brains?” He asked and by now, I was fed up with everyone’s horrible attitude.

            “ Well excuse me, sir, _I just got here_.” I snarled, causing his eyes to widen and he stepped back. Huffing, I crossed my arms and glared at him angrily.

            “ I-I meant no harm-”

            “ Oh bullshit.” I snapped, cutting him off. “ You insult me, talk about me behind my back, act like I’m some sort of… of… _alien_ , and then you have the _gall_ to tell me ‘you didn't mean it’. Yeah right, buddy. I’m fed up with you and your people’s attitudes so if you could _kindly_ tell me where the hell I am, I’ll _gladly leave_!”

            “ Hey!”

            Before I could look over, large— _very large_ —hands grabbed me by my middle and hoisted me up in the air. There were… mechanical, as if a robot just lifted me at least five feet off the ground.

            “ Put you down you overgrown tin can!” I screeched, pounding on the metal.

            “ Ryllan, I do not believe this was the way to handle this.” A gravelly, deep voice spoke.

            “ Zoijan, she was probably about to hurt that civilian.” Ryllan argued, glaring at me. I glared back and seethed. Screw it if he was hot, I was going to kill this asshole.

            “ Ry, you don’t know that. And that’s no way to treat a woman.” A sultry lady stated as she approached, looking at me. She was pretty tall, probably about five foot eleven, and she had dark brown hair flowing around her like a mane. Her eyes were like bright emeralds that shined with an unknown glow. Her skin was tanned nicely and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t jealous of her beauty, but she had an aura that radiated with a warning that this woman could kill. “ … how odd…”

            “ Put me down before I turn you into scrap metal!” I growled and to my surprise, he listened and put me down.

            “ Zoijan! What’re you doing!?” Ryllan argued, glaring at me again. “ She’s a threat!”

            “ You’re damn right I’m a threat. A threat to your ball sack after I kick it into oblivion!” I snapped, jabbing him in the chest with my finger. “ All I wanted to know is where the hell I am and I’m treated like some kind of fricking freak with two heads! I would like to get home so my little sister doesn’t freak out and starve to death!” He blinked, shocked by my outburst. I also heard the whole crowd around us gasp in shock as they turned to whisper to one another. Ryllan glared down at me. I hated it when men did that.

            “ …Do you even know who you’re talking to…?” He seethed, fists clenched.

            “ You could be the damned president of the damn country and I’d still yell at you, douche bag!” I snarled.

            “ Enough.” The tanned lady from before walked in between us, glaring at Ryllan. “ This is _not_ how a Guard handles a situation.”

            “ Yasa, she-”

            “ I don’t want to hear it, Ry.” The woman, Yasa, cut him off and slapping him away. “ I highly doubt fighting with her is going to get us anywhere. I think we should take her to Zedrich. He’ll know what we should do with her.” Ryllan glared at me and crossed his arms, muttering something.

            “ I agree with Yasa.” The metal guy, Zoijan I think his name was, nodded. “ The king will know what to do.” I blinked a few times.

            “ Whoa, whoa, hold on.” I said, rubbing a temple. “ You’re… you’re doing what now?” Yasa turned and smiled at me, her emerald eyes sparkling.

            “ We’re going to take you to the king of Asteidus. He’s a very intelligent man and he’ll know how to help you.” She replied before turning to Ryllan.

            “ And you don’t touch her, understand? I have a feeling you’ll end up in a fight with the girl if you do…” Yasa muttered, eyes narrowed. Ryllan turned his glare to me and I smiled innocently and waved. He growled under his breath before nodding to Yasa.

            “ Alright, let’s go then. The castle should be down past the bazaar.” The dark haired woman spoke, walking down another street. I squeaked as I was pushed, looking up behind me to see the man named Zoijan looking down expectantly at me.

            “ It would be wise to follow, ma’am.” He said flatly. I simply nodded and followed after Yasa.

***

            I got distracted by the bazaar not once, but twice. They had neat little knick-knacks and I totally wanted to buy some to give to Ebony. She would love it.

            But as soon as I tried to look at something, Zoijan would grab me and push me to follow Yasa. Then I’d pout and follow slowly before Zoijan would gently push me forward. Ryllan was quiet the whole was aside from his psycho muttering that he did. I ignored him for the most part and hoped that this king or whatever could get me home before anything happened to Ebony.

            “ Miss, we are here.” Zoijan stated, startling me out of my thoughts. I looked up at a massive building that looked a bit like the Lincoln Memorial building. Lots of stairs and pillars, making me groan slightly at the sight of it.

            “ What, you want us to carry you up there, princess?” Ryllan snorted, crossing his arms. I fumed and turned to him, glaring.

            “ No, you dick.” I snarled. “ I’m just a bit irritated that you can't pull your head out of your ass!” Ryllan growled and took a step forward, but Zoijan held out his hand like a bar. A large bar the size of a tree trunk.

            “ Yasa said no fighting, respect her wishes.” He commanded and Ryllan back down, glaring at the dirt. I childishly stuck my tongue out at Ryllan, causing his face to fall into confusion before I turned on my heel and continued after the woman, climbing the steps.

            It was so regal and elegant inside, I felt extremely out of place. There were beautiful wall decorations and mosaics hung all over the halls. I was in awe at all of it as I looked around, following Yasa.

            When we entered the throne room, an elderly man stood before the throne, adorned in red and gold clothing. He turned as soon as we entered, lips curving into a large grin-

            “ Guards! How wonderful to see you all… especially in this terrible time…” The man gushed, stepping away from his throne to greet the ‘Guards’. Yasa approached and bowed to the man, whom I now guess was the king.

            “ Lord Zedrich, we are honored to be in your presence.” Yasa greeted and the three of them bowed. I looked around at them as if they lost their minds, there was no way in hell I’m bowing before this guy. King or not.

            “ Who is this?” Zedrich inquired, looking at me curiously as I didn't ‘show respect’.

            “ This is…” Yasa looked at me, rotating her hand.

            “ This is a hostile female we found terrorizing a commoner.” Ryllan said bluntly, crossing his arms as he stood. I whirled around to him, nearly jabbing his face with my finger.

            “ You sir, are an ass. I was _not_ terrorizing _anyone._ I was trying to find out where the hell I am so I can go home!” I ground out, glaring at him.

            “ Not. In front. Of the king.” Yasa hissed, causing the two of us to look at her. We both stopped our quarrel and faced away from each other, stewing in our own anger. The king only continued to smile, waving Yasa off.

            “ It’s alright, my dear. Who are you, young lady?” He asked me. His smile and countenance seemed to calm my nerves and I relaxed.

            “ My name’s Lillie. Lillie Reid.” I introduced.

            “ Ah, Lillie… What a wonderful name.” The king mused.

            “ For a rotten little weed.” Ryllan huffed and I turned to leer at him. Before I could get a word out, Zoijan cuffed him on the back of his head.

            “ Yasa said enough.” He reminded the other. The king cleared his throat, drawing our attention back to him.

            “ Hm, it seems there is some tension between you both… But I must ask you something Lillie. Where are you from?” He asked.

            “ I live in Chicago, Illinois.” I replied, watching the king’s expression change to confusion.

            “ I… I see…” He murmured, looking at the floor and thinking. I furrowed my brows, looking at them.

            “ Is there a problem?” I asked, suspicious. Zedrich look up at me, brows furrowed together in worry.

            “ I believe there is, my dear…” He sighed at last. “ I’ve never heard of a… Chi-caw-go, Illy-noise… anywhere. The place you speak of doesn’t exist.”


	4. Chapter 4

              “What?”

              It was the first thing that left my lips. How could you _not_ hear about Chicago? This had to be some sort of joke. Maybe my boss finally lost his mind and kidnapped me and had all these people dress up so he could be some knight in shining armor.

            Okay, maybe that’s a bit over the top.

              “ I’m sorry, Lillie, but there is not a Chi-caw-go here…” Zedrich repeated. “ I don’t think there’s anything like that here in Chiradia.”

              “ Wait, Chi-what-de-wha?” I interrupted, squinting at the king. He chuckled softly before smiling at me like he would a child.

              “ Chiradia. It’s the world we live in.” He replied, turning and walking away. “ Come here, Lillie.” I looked at him for a moment until Zoijan gave me a small push, urging me to go forward. I sighed and began following Zedrich, wondering what he wanted to do to me.

              He took me to another room with large windows on one side, bookshelves lining the walls adjacent to the doorway. In front of the windows were plants, lining the whole wall. There was only one thing wrong with this beautiful room.

              All the plants were dead.

              I stared in wonder, wondering why the king had a bunch of dead plants for the whole world to see. The king motioned me over to the plants and I walked over cautiously. This guy could kill me and use me as his plant fertilizer.

              Okay, Lillie, too many horror movies.

              “ Don’t be afraid, child.” Zedrich spoke, picking up a small plant. “ I only wish to try a little… experiment.”

              _Of course you do, you mad scientist._ I thought bitterly as I walked up to him. The plant in his hands looked horrible. It was obviously dead, branches were brown and brittle looking, as if it’d turn to dust as soon as you’d touch it. The king held the plant out to me and I took it gingerly, holding it with furrowed brows.

              “ Lillie, I’d like you to close your eyes and think of one of your happiest moment.” Zedrich instructed. I nodded and closed my eyes, thinking about Ebony and our parents before they passed. The smell of dad barbecuing, the sound of Ebony’s laughter. I smiled at the thought, feeling a rush of happiness. It made my whole body tingle with an unspoken magic, filling me with a hope I didn’t know I had.

              “ Holy shit…” I heard Ryllan mutter, breaking me out of my trance as I opened my eyes. My jaw dropped when I was the plant, alive and green as if it never died at all. I stared at the plant for a moment before laughing awkwardly.

              “ T-That’s a neat trick… sir.” I said, looking at the king.

              “ …I assure you, Lillie, that this is no trick.” Zedrich replied, gesturing to the plant. “ That… was all you.”

            “But… that’s impossible.” I argued, looking at him before looking at the plant again.

            “Is she…?” Zoijan whispered behind me.

            “ For our sake, I hope not.” Ryllan muttered. I turned my head slightly to glare at Ryllan from the side, which he happily returned.

            “ Ry, quit acting like a child.” Yasa snapped. “ If this is who the gods chose, then it is for a good reason. Unless you’re thinking our gods are stupid…” Ryllan looked insulted and shook his head, muttering something to himself as Yasa grinned in triumph. Zedrich chuckled at the two and turned back to me.

            “ Lillie, this is important.” Zedrich started. “ You have the power of Life, my child. A very important power in our world. It is only blessed to one person by the gods, and the gods have chosen you.” I blinked. Power of life? Was he serious? I’ve never been able to so much as take care of a fish let alone have to power to give life. These people were mistaken.

            “ I’m sorry,” I started, putting the plant down and looking at the king. “ I don’t mean to seem disrespectful or rude, but I think you’ve mistaken me for someone else. I have to get back home to my little sister.”

            “ My dear, you don’t understand.” Zedrich replied. “ We cannot confuse you with someone else for one simple fact. No one in Chiradia can use Life Magic unless they are a Life Mage.”

            “ So go find a Life Mage, cause I’m not one of them.” I replied, a bit heated.

            “ We cannot.” Zoijan stated, causing me to jump and look at him.

            “ What do you mean?” I inquired, narrowing my eyes a bit.

            “ He means that we can’t.” Ryllan scowled, glaring at me. “ There’s only one Life Mage in existence at all times, and you’re it. If you don’t help us then we’re screwed.” I stared at him in disbelief before laughing awkwardly.

            “ You've gotta be kidding me.” I tried. “ I have to get back home and make sure my little sister is okay. She’ll freak if I’m gone!”

            “ You have to help us!” Ryllan snarled. “ Our whole _world_ is in despair because of the loss of our previous Life Mage, you can’t just expect us to drop everything because of a little kid—” I turned furiously to Ryllan and did the first thing that came to my mind.

            I punched him right in the jaw.

            “ You bastard!” I screeched. “ I’m all she has! If I’m not there, the government will take her from me and hand her over to one of those vultures we call relatives!” Ryllan looked shocked, blinking at me before glaring.

            “ Enough!” Both Ryllan and I turned to look at the king with wide eyes. He was looking at the both of us sternly. “ Ryllan! You should know better than to harass someone. We cannot _force_ her to be the Life Mage.”

            “ But sir!” Ryllan looked at Zedrich in disbelief, but the king cut him off.

            “ Take her to Zelarith. He’ll know how to return her home.” Zedrich commanded, narrowing his eyes at Ryllan. “ And protect her, as a Guard should.” Ryllan sighed in defeat, nodding at the king before bowing respectfully.

            “ Yes, sire.”

***

            “ Alright, are we all prepared?” Yasa asked as I put on a satchel, looking at her and nodding. Ryllan narrowed his eyes at me and looked me over.

            “ Why’re you taking those with you?” He pointed at the little knick-knacks I bought. I rolled my eyes and put my hand on my hip.

            “ Cause it’s my life and I do what I want with it.” I snapped, walking past him. Yasa shook her head and started down a path, ignoring our dispute. I followed Yasa, whistling softly as we continued to… Chidalden—wait, Cadialdan—to meet that wizard guy. I went to catch up with Yasa when something knocked into me and I almost fell over. I snapped my gaze upwards and glares at Ryllan, who glares back and walked ahead of me.

            Oh yes, this was going to be a ‘fun' trip.


End file.
